


Caged Bird

by WandaWrite



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series)
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Canon-Typical Violence, Friendship, Gen, Handcuffs, Kidnapping, Light Angst, Redemption
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:42:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26322844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WandaWrite/pseuds/WandaWrite
Summary: Nobody liked Eli Moskowitz. Everybody liked Hawk. Apart from Demetri of course.Then Hawk gets into a dangerous situation and it looks like only a comic-loving nerd can help him get out of it.
Relationships: Demetri & Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz
Comments: 6
Kudos: 75





	1. Somebody Else

**Author's Note:**

> First time ive ever posted anything so pls go easy on any criticism.
> 
> I watched Cobra Kai and this kidnapping movie (Room) back to back so this is the combo my brain came up with. Enjoy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POV: Demetri

To say things were a little tense after the mall fight would have been a _great_ understatement. Demetri certainly thought so.

Just walking into school these days had all the newly brainwashed cobra kai minions glaring at him as if he'd committed sacrilege against their precious dojo. All apart from Miguel and Aisha that was. They were on still pretty good terms, even apologizing on behalf of their fellow cobra, _Hawk_.

Well, in Demetri's opinion, _Hawk_ didn't seem even a little bit sorry for the near case of pure _gang assault_ he had orchestrated against his former best friend. Even right then, with them both sitting in science, Demetri could feel Eli's glare boring a hole into the back of his skull with the ferocity of 10 suns.

Focusing on his work, he took comfort in the fact that it annoyed Eli to no end that he wasn't afraid of him. He could karate chop all he wanted, Spike his hair into pinwheel and give himself a stupid name but to Demetri, he was always gonna be good old Eli. The guy he'd watched all eight harry potter movies and won a competition at computer camp with. Yeah. He wasn't even a little bit scared of that guy.

Receiving a tap on his shoulder, Demetri turned around to Miguel holding up an empty test tube, "do you have any extras?" He asked, waving it around.

"Yep" Demetri grabbed the spare one and handed it to Miguel, glancing at Eli as he did. _Hawk_ was too busy scrutinizing what looked like a military dog tag bracelet to make anymore remarks about Demetri being a pussy.

His former best friend's mouth sharpened into a smirk as he finished inspecting the tag, "check it- Sensei Kreese gave me this" he held up the tag proudly to Miguel as if it was a medal of honour, "He took it off the enemy when he was fighting in Afghanistan, it's badass"

Miguel regarded the tag thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing as he read aloud the inscription. Meanwhile, Demetri's expression soured at the thought of the unhinged elder that sucker punched him, "Just some of Sensei psycho's more professional side there, I'm gonna take a stab in the dark and guess that he wasn't _honourably_ discharged" he commented, earning a resentful scowl from Eli.

" _This means_ \- No. Mercy." Eli punctuated, his voice lowering as he gripped the tag, "And I'll be happy to show you what that is, you pussy" he threatened to which Demetri frowned at him.

Seeing _big bad Hawk_ start to rise from his seat, Miguel quickly stepped in, "Come on guys, we're in school and I don't want to get a detention from Miss Glibb" he kept his voice steady and gave a relieved sigh when Eli shrugged him off with a "whatever", redirecting his frustration back to their science experiment.

Demetri turned around to work. He, maybe, wrote a single sentence in his textbook before his thoughts shifted back to Cobra Kai and their oh so badass founder.

Sensei Kreese was bad news, Mr. LaRusso had said so himself. He told them that the old guy was messed up from the war and couldn't distinguish between real life and the trenches. This then led him to treat his students like soldiers, instilling that no mercy mentality in them. Why it was so _badass_ to Eli, Demetri had no idea. He didn't know how any of that over aggression could be appealing to anyone.

Either way, It didn't seem like nice and quiet Eli would be making a reappearance anytime soon. Demetri tapped the end of his pencil in thought as his already mediocre mood further declined.

"Mr Diaz, pay attention to the lesson" Miss Glibb reprimanded and Demetri heard his friend groan in annoyance before half heartedly apologizing.


	2. Bye Birdie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POV: Hawk

"HYAH!"

Hawk punched through the dummy with a vengeance. The way the silicon surface squashed under his fist brought a healthy dose of satisfaction. But it was nowhere near the amount he'd get punching Demetri square in that nerdy disapproving face of his. Hawk gritted his teeth in frustration as he swung his leg.

"HYAH!"

The thud of force on plastic echoed around the empty dojo. Well, it was empty aside from Miguel and Sensei Lawrence who were in the office busy discussing the upcoming All Valley tournament. Hawk just stayed behind after class to work out his anger on the new defense dummy. It was a little inconvenient. Even with all the training to vent out his emotions, his anger still seemed to bleed into the rest of his day. He sent another clenched fist flying.

"HYAH!"

Critical shot but Hawk didn't feel that much better. He began going through the list of things he was angry about; Moon dumping him, That stupid Yelp review, losing the mall fight and not to mention that loser Demetri's comment about Sensei. Stopping to adjust his form, Hawk's face clouded with annoyance when he acknowledged the recurring theme in the list being Demetri. It was always because of Demetri. That fucking nerd.

Fixating an intense glare on the dummy, Hawk imagined it having dark hair and a neurotic yet self-righteous look that never failed to infuriate him these days. Then he struck at it, hard.

"HYAH!"

Then a flying kick.

"YAH!'

Then another violent punch to the nose for good measure.

"HYAH!" 

He took a few deep breaths after that, stretching out his limbs. Yeah, still angry. Hawk swept his hands up his hair, making sure everything was still in place. It was as badass as it usually was and he let his arms drop down. 

Going to his bag, he picked it up and swung it over his shoulder aggressively. Demetri was gonna get what was coming to him eventually. That was, if the pussy didn't start doing the Olympic dash every time a fight broke out.

"You going?"

Hawk turned to see Miguel by the doorway, giving him a strange look.

"Sensei's going through training plans for the tournament, I've managed to put 'rolling around in the cement barrel' out of the picture for now but I think he could use some extra convincing" Miguel joked, making sure he said it out of Sensei Lawrence's earshot.

Hawk laughed in response, shaking his head, "sorry can't, my mom starts to panic if I'm not home by ten" 

Miguel shrugged with an understanding look before fist bumping him goodbye.

"Bye Sensei!" Hawk called out, getting a non-committal noise in response. He grinned at Miguel, "see ya in school" securing his bag strap he walked out. The door to the dojo shut behind him softly.

* * *

After seeing the clock read 10:30 and then reviewing the avalanche of worried messages from his mom, Hawk opted to forego his usual route for a shortcut.

He briskly turned the corner, heading behind the buildings that sat on the main street. As he weaved his way through the darker path, a sudden chill prickled at the back of his neck.

Back before Cobra Kai, he'd get that same prickling of paranoia whenever anybody looked at him. He was always so sure they were making fun of him, of his lip. Used to stress him out to the point where he'd just try to stay away from large numbers of people. He would take shortcuts like this just for the sole reason of knowing nobody would be around. Nobody would be able to see him.

But he wasn't meek insecure little _Eli_ anymore and he didn't think like that anymore. Now he was Hawk and Hawk shrugged the feeling of paranoia off like it was nothing.

Walking a couple more steps, his eyebrows drew together as confusion flooded his expression and he reluctantly slowed to a stop. Did he take a wrong turn somewhere?

He tried to remember which way his street was but everything looked different in the dark and he couldn't pinpoint the exact alley that led to his house.

Letting out a defeated sigh, he considered just walking back the way he came. Sensei Kreese's metal tag clinked softly in his pocket as he readjusted the bag strap over his shoulder. Another moment of silence passed by before he decided that he wasn't gonna figure out the correct path anytime soon and that it was better he retrace his steps.

It was when he started to turn around that everything went to hell.

Something had suddenly pulled him backwards at the same time a rough cloth-like material smothered the lower half of his face, blocking his airways. He inhaled sharply from surprise and instantly regretted doing so when his head swam with disorientation.

Instinctively swinging an elbow backwards, he felt it connect with something solid. A pained grunt followed and Hawk's mind started to spiral off into high alert, trying to figure out who was attacking him.

With the damp rag so firmly pressed over his mouth, it caused him to breath in the vapors coming off from it. Whatever it was made his thoughts blur and his movements lethargic. He aimed the heel of his right foot directly behind him but ended up hitting nothing but air, stumbling back into his assailant.

Whoever it was, steadied him before quickly dragging his body back, one hand over his face with the other pulling at his left arm. Hawk struggled to maintain his balance as his limbs started to lose coordination. He used every ounce of energy to pull at the rag while still trying to strike the person holding it. 

There were another few solid hits but there were even more misses as Hawk's vision drastically faded. In the back of his mind, he registered the click of a car door opening and his panic compounded. It was hard to breathe and hard to see and soon it was even hard to think as his mind numbed from the chemically-soaked rag.

Then there was a falling sensation that jolted Hawk back into consciousness just long enough for him to feel his head hit the car's interior, rebounding off of the cushioned seats.

Then everything went black.


	3. W & G

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POV: Demetri

☆ The Dungeon lord; a novel about a man who rose to power in order to fight great evil with only his wits and his guts to help him on his difficult journey. ☆

After much anticipation, the new issue had finally come out and Demetri couldn't wait to read it. Truly a masterpiece, it was definitely in his top 10 list of fantasy novels. Infact, he would have been in possession of it at this very moment were it not for Eli, Bebop, Rocksteady and the rest of the 'karate kids'. They attacked him that day at the mall before he had a chance to purchase it.

Demetri very much related to the Dungeon Lord's protagonist in that sense. He too only had his wits and guts to fight the bad guys with. 

Then again, considering he had joined Miyagi Do Karate, he really had to wonder at the wits part of the equation. Sure, he wanted to be able to fight back against Eli and his current crusade of terror against him but did it really have to be at the expense of his poor inflexible joints? So having any wits was debatable and it wasn't like he was strong in the guts department either.

Rolling back the discomfort in his shoulders  _ and _ back  _ and _ arms, Demetri sighed remorsefully as he looked at the price of the new issue online. A bit too costly for his liking, especially since he was trying to be a little more frugal with his comic book collecting. He could practically open up shop with all the stuff he'd bought.

Luckily for his finances, Jimmy; the comic book store's assistant manager had ordered a few extras of the issue, planning to sell them at a lower price. Unfortunately, the novels had recently moved entirely to the online market so he couldn't exactly put them on store shelves.  _ Fortunately _ , Demetri wasn't a quitter, at least when it came to comic books.

Last week, he went back to the mall and got Jimmy to agree to sell him one at a reasonable price outside the bounds of the comic book store. If all went according to plan, the new issue would be in his hands in just a few days.

Scrolling up to look at the online price again, Demetri chewed the inside of his cheek. Annoyance quickly displaced his earlier feeling of accomplishment when he thought about the events that had led up to this. Oh why, oh why couldn't have Eli and his cobra kai cult given him a chance to buy it before they chased him? All this effort and work just because Eli was on a bigger ego trip than Crackerjack.

He missed the simpler times of computer camp and comic books with his best friend back when he was a man of very few words and not  _ Hawk _ . Back when it was just Demetri and good old Eli. Binary Bros for life.

But, evidently not for life, it now dawned on him.

Before he could do any more reminiscing, there was a sharp knock behind him.

Swivelling around, Demetri saw his mom standing in the doorway. She looked serious enough that he started automatically going through a list of things that had the potential to get him in trouble.

His mom's expression softened slightly, "Kelly just called saying that Eli hasn't come home yet and she's completely frantic- well I mean it is  _ Kelly  _ so there's a chance she's overreacting in that helicopter parent way that she does sometimes- but anyway, she was asking if you know where he is?" She asked, her eyebrows raised expectantly.

"Um" Demetri glanced at the clock. It read 11:20. So it was kind of late but for the city's new  _ bad boy _ it was probably early, he thought derisively, "Me and Eli haven't necessarily been hanging out in the same circles these days but if I have to give it a guess, I'd say he's most likely doing something  _ pretty badass  _ like some general vandalizing or roughing up of broken cars, a real Rebel without a cause setup, I'd say" he rambled, trying not to get intimidated by the growing annoyance on her face.

Frowning at him, she took out her phone, "I'll tell her you don't know anything" she pressed the call button and put it up to her ear, "Don't be such a smart mouth next time I ask you a question" she warned before turning around to relay his answer to Eli's mom.

Demetri could hear her squeaky panicked voice on the other end as his own mom tried to reassure her. 

Mrs. Moskowitz was overprotective in every sense of the word and while Demetri could appreciate the need for safety, even he could admit that she definitely overdid it at times.

The fact that Eli was  _ purposely _ missing curfew really showed the investment in that  _ Hawk  _ persona of his. It also reminded Demetri that it wasn't going away anytime soon.

* * *

He hadn't even gotten to his locker when Miguel came up to him, worry painted so vividly across his face, "Hey"

"Hello" he already knew what he was going to ask him.

Miguel fidgeted with the strap of his bag as they made their way to the lockers, "You heard anything new?" 

Approximately two hours after Eli's mom called, the police had arrived at Demetri's house with a missing persons report on Eli and some questions about him. They were asking anybody who was close to him or that had talked to him that day if he had plans to go anywhere that night.

Demetri wanted to ask if receiving threats really constituted as talking but a pointed look from his mom made him drop the attitude. He admittedly felt some uneasiness creep in at how the police were involved but in the back of his mind he could already guess how everything was gonna work out.

The way he saw it,  _ Hawk  _ would be a no-show for another couple of hours, busy with whatever it was that he was doing. It was most likely something of a questionable nature. And then he'd reappear, boasting about his wild night and revelling at how he'd eluded the police.

A headache started to form beneath Demetri's cranium just thinking about it and he turned to Miguel, "Look, statistics show that most people reported  _ missing  _ return within 48 hours" his stated, opening his locker and taking out the textbooks he needed, "That's plenty of time before people need to start freaking out about Eli"

Miguel looked slightly taken aback by his words and his expression seemed to darken, "But, he  _ told _ me he was going straight home because his mom didn't want him out late" he claimed, watching Demetri shut his locker with a contrived sigh.

"And  _ Hawk  _ always plays by the rules, does he?" He said, tone heavily laced with sarcasm, "What if maybe he decided to flip the script  _ again  _ and just ignored his mom and joined a biker gang or something as  _ equally _ as  _ badass _ " 

There was a pause as Miguel just blinked at him, "What are you even talking about, Demetri? He wouldn't just disappear like that without telling anybody. Aren't you even a little worried- he's our friend-"

"Correction" Demetri slammed his locker shut, " _ Your _ friend- to  _ me  _ he's the equivalent of Kyler last year"

"But-" Miguel started before being cut off by the bell. 

"See you after class" said Demetri, ignoring the minor disbelief on his friend's face. He turned and headed to maths, pushing any and all thoughts about Eli's escapades out of mind.


	4. Bad Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POV: Hawk

_It was one of those funhouse mirrors. That's what Hawk figured. It was one of those that twisted and stretched your reflection ten different ways with the end result being hilariously distorted._

_He remembered going to the fair as a kid and standing in front of a couple. The reflections he'd get always made him laugh, it was a lot of fun._

_But now that he wasn't a little kid anymore, it seemed a lot less so. What got reflected back now wasn't as funny as back then. Because now when Hawk looked into the twisty mirror, he didn't get bigger or taller or anything like that._

_He got Eli. Sad, insecure and cowardly little Eli reflected back at him, all hunched in on himself with one hand pulling at his lip to cover the scar. Deep revulsion rose up within Hawk just from looking at him, "HEY!"_

_His reflection flinched at the yell and looked away. Hawk didn't know why that made him so much more angry._

_Was_ _that_ _how he used to be? That much of a freak? That much of a loser? That much of a pussy?_

_Looking at how_ _Eli_ _wouldn't even make eye contact made the anger within Hawk expand atomically. He drew back a fist, ready to mercilessly shatter the mirror into pieces, ready to get rid of Eli in one strike._

_Then his head exploded with pain._

_And it hurt so much that he doubled over, clutching his scalp as if to claw the ache out._

_It hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt-_

* * *

Hawk awoke with a start and had to immediately screw his eyes shut. The sudden jolt of movement intensified his migraine and made the pain near unbearable. He pushed his head into what felt like a pillow, ignoring the way his clammy skin felt against its damp surface.

The pain not lessening, he went to curl in on himself and bring a hand to his head for comfort only to find out he physically couldn't do either.

He'd noted some pressure on his right ankle and wrist when he woke up but dismissed it in favour of nursing his headache. Opening his eyes slowly, his stomach dropped when he saw all the metal.

There was one steel cuff around his wrist and one encircling his ankle, both were connected to chains, the ends of which were bolted to the wall facing him. The chains were long enough that he could bend his limbs but not enough that he could move off the bed.

The bed. He was on a bed. Bit by bit, as the initial numbing shock wore off, Hawk started to register the overall look of his current whereabouts.

He was in a small room with four corners. The one he was in had a bed. The corner diagonally across from him had a table and chair. The one to his left had a wardrobe and cupboard. And the one to his right had a toilet as well as a bathtub that looked like it'd been out of commission for a while.

While Hawk methodically took account of his surroundings, he didn't notice how his heartbeat quickened or how his breaths shortened until his chest hurt and his face was wet.

Reaching with his free hand, he shakily wiped at the tears as the memories of last night came back to him in nauseating waves.

It was dark. He was going home. He took a shortcut, made a wrong turn and then… everything went dark again.

Moving his hand away, he noticed light coming into the room from above. He looked up and saw that there was a small window placed directly over him. Through it, a small section of sky was visible with clouds so white, Hawk had to squint to relieve the pressure on his migraine.

Parts of the attack from last night flashed into mind as he lay there. He remembered how he tried to fight back and how he got dizzier and weaker…

His thoughts shifted back to a few years ago, when he'd gone to science camp with Demetri. At one point, they'd looked at chemicals and their effects on the human body. There was a chemical that caused nausea and drowsiness, it could even induce unconsciousness if given in a perfectly measured dose.

Shifting himself to a slightly less uncomfortable position, Hawk winced at the fatigue in his sore muscles. The chemical he was thinking of was chloroform. Was that what he'd breathed in? Last night, when he got a rag put over his face, was there chloroform on it? It had definitely been soaked in something.

He exhaled a shaky breath and willed his eyes to stop burning as he struggled to figure out what had happened.

More memories came back to him. His mom's worried texts- 

At that, he jumped up, his free hand instantly grabbing at his pockets only to find that his phone wasn't there and neither was Sensei Kreese's military tag. Hawk didn't know why not having the tag made him feel that much worse. It's not like he could've used it for anything but its absence only encouraged more panic.

Frozen in position, he tried to push the panic down. Whoever attacked him had taken his phone, the tag and left him chained up in this cell. Tendrils of anxiety slithered across his chest as he tried to think of who could have done it.

Somebody from Miyagi Do was his first thought. Demetri, Robby, Mr LaRusso, Sam, all those cobra kais who'd defected. Maybe one of them was taking revenge for how he'd trashed the dojo? Mr. LaRusso definitely looked pissed as hell when he found out. He even came to cobra kai ready to fight Sensei because of it.

But kidnapping? Wasn't that a step too far? Somehow, even though he didn't like the guy, he couldn't see him doing something like that.

Maybe somebody from Cobra Kai then? Hawk remembered Sensei Kreese talking about almost getting captured by the enemy in Afghanistan. What if this was all just a test? To see if he had what it took to beat the odds and win or something like that?

Hawk spiralled off into more theories as his eyes flitted nervously across the room, picking up on the details he'd missed in his initial scan. Like how the walls were covered in a bumpy texture from top to bottom, not a single smooth space. The sight of it looked familiar to him.

Ever since becoming Cobra Kai, Hawk had made a strong effort to rid himself of anything _Eli_ but it wasn't easy to undo that many years of nerd shit. He still remembered coding programs and comic books and it was why he had a rough idea of what those bumps were.

There had been a Green Lantern comic with an interrogation scene and the guy doing the interrogating made a point of saying that the room was sound proofed. The walls in that room were covered in the exact same bumps he was looking at now. Soundproofing. That's what that was. It basically meant calling out for help wouldn't do anything, no matter how loudly he yelled.

That's when Hawk realized that it probably wasn't Miyagi Do's revenge or a test by Sensei Kreese or anything similar. He swallowed down the bile in his throat.

His mom had warned him about it so many times. Told him to stay safe and out of trouble. That there were so many things that could go wrong. _Especially for you_ were the unspoken words but Hawk would hear them loud and clear. Even his own mom had looked at him with pity, like he couldn't take care of himself.

But it was different now, he was different because Cobra Kai had given him much more than karate skills. He was a lot stronger now and not just physically.

His headache pounded through his skull like crazy but he powered through it and started tugging on the chains experimentally. If Sensei Lawrence or Sensei Kreese were in his position, they could probably get out of it. They'd bust the chains and make the person who'd put them there regret it.

Hawk tensed his muscles and pulled, ignoring the pain in his head and the fear in his heart.

_COBRA_

He let go, breathing heavily before tensing and pulling on them again.

_KAI_

"Argh!" He fell back with a cry of pain as the cuffs cut into his skin. He moved them down slightly so that they weren't pressing on the bruises before he pulled again.

_NEVER_

Hawk hooked his free leg over the bed to give himself a stable base to pull with. Then, wrapping his free hand around the chain trapping his other hand, he strengthened his grip. 

He was about to start pulling again when the door opened.

Hawk instantly let go of the chains and rushed back, pressing himself against the wall in defense. 

The only thing that came through at first was light from outside. Then it started to flicker from somebody's shadow being in the way. Hawk felt sick.

It suddenly struck him that since it was light outside, it meant that he'd been here since last night. He tried to let that thought reassure him that people would've noticed he was missing by now and called the police or something. But all he could feel was nauseous watching the door widen to allow the person on the other side to step through.

* * *

If someone had asked Hawk what a kidnapper looked like, he wouldn't have described the guy in front of him.

He was tall with a medium build. Blandly dressed, he was wearing black trousers with a dark green jumper. Carrying a plastic bag, he would've looked like any average guy on the street if it wasn't for the hair. As red as a fire hydrant, the heavily dyed ends escaped under his black cap and stood out like rash against the guy's pale skin. He also had some freckles splattered across his cheeks and nose, slightly concealed under the thick lensed glasses he wore. Clean shaven, he looked like he was in his early 20s. He also looked like a nerd.

Despite the less than intimidating appearance, Hawk still seized up at the sight of him. He wanted to speak and say something- anything but his throat closed up. His hands got cold and clammy with nerves and he held onto the mattress lining with a tight grip. It scrunched up under his free hand, pulling it taut.

The guy closed the door behind him as soon as he entered. The click the lock made echoed around the room eerily. When he finally looked up, the sight of Hawk's wide-eyed stare made him jump back slightly, "whoah, you're awake"

_This_ _is him?_ thought Hawk with some disbelief. Just looking at the freckled flincher and hearing his jittery voice, Hawk figured he could take him down in a fight. Easy. This couldn't be the guy who'd _attacked and drugged_ him.

Getting no response, the guy adjusted his glasses awkwardly before putting his hand in the bag, "Um, well, I got some food-" he began, the plastic bag crinkling as he started to go through its contents.

"-Where am I?" Hawk rasped out, not realizing how badly the chloroform had affected his throat. It was drier than the desert and itched uncomfortably when he spoke.

The guy turned towards him, blinking behind those bionicles of his, "Uh well, I call it the _Den_ " he broke out in an uncertain smile before quickly adding, "but- uh- if you can think of something better…"

Hawk let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, the guy seemed like a nervous wreck. Infact, this whole thing was starting to look like some elaborate prank rather than an actual kidnapping. He sat up as much as he could on the bed, watching the guy in his peripheral, "No, I mean where _exactly_?" He asked, trying to keep his tone firm yet casual.

"Oh!" Red clicked his fingers in a 'got-it' gesture "So we're in the Den which- I actually made it myself- yeah- pretty cool, right?" He digressed, gesturing to the walls. It almost sounded like he wanted to impress Hawk.

Hawk gave him nothing and the guy awkwardly resumed his previous point, "well, anyways- the Den is pretty close to your place so if you were thinking we were out the country or something" he stopped to laugh and being in such a compact room, the sound was harsh against Hawk's ears and even worse on his migraine, "We're definitely not, we're even near the dojo- In fact, I'm pretty sure this is exactly halfway between the dojo and your house" he looked like he was pretty happy with himself for making that point.

Whether this was a prank or not, Hearing that from a stranger made some alarm bells go off in Hawk's head " _my_ house?" His words came out a lot quieter than he'd meant them, "You know where I live?" He asked hesitantly, his voice was a bit louder that time but with a bigger presence of fear in it. How did this weirdo know where he lived?

"Uh huh" Red nodded like it was obvious and went back to unpacking his plastic bag. He took out a chicken sandwich and a small bottle of coke as Hawk remained at a loss for words, "So you don't have to worry, everything's in proximity and uh- it's all good" he said, rifling through the bag for something specific once he set it down on the table.

Hawk stared at the guy and a deep unsettling feeling started to creep in. They were talking like he wasn't literally _chained_ to the wall in this creepy-as-fuck ground-level basement and about to have a mental breakdown, "Is this some sort of prank or-"

"Huh?" Red turned his head and Hawk could see the confusion in his eyes, "What? No. What do you mean?"

Rattling the chains to make his point, Hawk was now 80% sure this was a prank and he was gonna crucify the person behind it. Red was probably just a lackey, acting on behalf of somebody else. And once Hawk found that somebody else, he would-

"Oh yeah sorry- those were just a precaution- I thought you'd freak out or something- I don't know" he rambled apologetically. A jangling sound broke out as he fished out some keys, each one colour coded. Hawk watched him fumble with them before picking out the yellow coded one.

He gave a nervous smile before walking towards Hawk who'd automatically tensed up at the closing distance between them. Red didn't seem to notice as he leaned over the chained ankle with the yellow key and unlocked it.

After all that, apparently, unnecessary pulling, Hawk's wrist felt like it was gonna separate at the joint, "Yeah, can you hurry up and unlock my wrist, it's killing me" he motioned to his bruising forearm.

Red turned and gave him a quizzical look, "I can get you some ointment for that but I can't just unlock _everything_ " he said like Hawk was stupid for even suggesting it.

Somewhere between hearing that and seeing the key in the guy's hand was the limit to Hawk's patience. He swung his foot into Red's throat with no hesitation, emitting a strangled noise from the guy as the key dropped to the mattress. Hawk lunged for it with his free hand as Red flailed around, clutching his throat with a shocked expression.

Grabbing hold of the key, Hawk jammed it in the lock. So much adrenaline was pumping through his system that he didn't put it all the way though and the metal clinked from his mistake. Taking a second before his second attempt,he then tried putting it all the way through.

It didn't fit.

A bead of sweat rolled down Hawk's face when he remembered the other keys, all colour coded. It must've been a different colour for the handcuff. Seeing Red starting to stand up, Hawk didn't think twice and jumped off the bed only for the guy to suddenly scramble backwards at the speed of light.

Another problem he encountered when he jumped was that he'd forgot to account for his wrist still being chained and the cuff yanked him back, "ARGH!". It bit into his already wounded skin with a vengeance and he fell back onto the mattress with another pained yell.

Breathing heavily, he propped himself up on the mattress, wincing in pain as he did. He looked up to see Red still holding his throat but using his other hand to grab at the sandwich and coke before launching them at Hawk.

"Hey!" Hawk had to duck to avoid getting headshotted by a bottle of coca cola. It hit the wall behind him with a muffled thud. He glanced back at Red with alarm but he was too busy fumbling with the door key to notice, "j-just have some food and calm down" Hawk heard him mutter and it made his blood boil.

"Calm down!?" Hawk raised in desperation when he saw that Red was planning on leaving him here, "Let me out!"

The guy finally got the door open and hurried through ignoring Hawk's yelling, "HEY- DON'T-" The door to the room subsequently slammed shut.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Empty Seat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POV: Demetri

According to the official police statistics he'd found online, **most people reported missing return within 48 hours** _._

Eli's parents had made the report around midnight yesterday, so that made it a few more hours to go until… there was actually something to worry about.

That's why, personally, Demetri wasn't feeling particularly bothered about the whole situation. There was still _plenty_ of time left for _Hawk_ to show up and boast to all his minions that going missing for a day just came with living the _wild_ life of a Cobra Kai. 

There was still plenty of time for that to inevitably happen. At least Demetri thought so but nobody else seemed to look at it that way. Instead they were 'worried about Eli' and they didn't get why Demetri wasn't 'worried about Eli' and by 'they', he meant Miguel.

He kept repeating how Hawk could really be in trouble and that he wouldn't just disappear like that and that- Demetri just really didn't want to hear it. Honestly, Eli had only been out of reach for a little over a day. Why was everyone being so unnecessarily paranoid?

Demetri wasn't worried at all. In fact, he could even bring himself to appreciate the small break. It was nice to walk the halls again without the usual glaring and threats from his red mohawk-having ex-binary brother. He just wished the others could also see from his _very much_ logical point of view.

Eli would show up and they could all resume their previous dynamic; _Hawk the badass_ vs Demetri the nerd. And it was such a wonder why Demetri was slightly thankful for the former's short absence.

And it would be short. Because Eli was coming back.

* * *

English was the only class they all had together. Him, Miguel, Aisha, Sam, Robby now that he'd transferred back and Eli whose empty seat stood out in their busy classroom. 

His disappearance, if you could even call it that, was one of the main sources of chatter in school with people coming up with theories on it.

One such theory Demetri overheard was that _Hawk_ had joined the army. Thinking about it, he could admit that 

there was a certain plausibility to the idea. Maybe _Hawk,_ inspired by his great _Sensei_ , had dropped out of school and signed up to the good old army. Maybe that was exactly what had happened. It wouldn't surprise Demetri, considering how unpredictable his ex-best friend had recently become.

One minute they're hanging out at a victory party, the next Demetri's being chased through a mall by him and a couple of spare goons. 

One minute they're talking about Doctor Who, the next Demetri's getting a cold drink poured all over him and his favourite shirt.

One minute Eli's sitting right behind him in class, the next Demetri's looking at his empty seat, wondering where he went.

The bell rang, signalling the end of class and snapping Demetri out of his thoughts. 

Collecting together his textbooks, he was joined by Miguel and Aisha, followed by Sam and Robby. They always seemed to appear near him when the number of Cobra Kai students rose to one or more. Not that he wasn't thankful for it. That day at the mall would have turned out a lot differently had they not been close by..

Demetri observed the people around him and noticed that while the dojo rivalry had created a weird layer of tension between them, everyone seemed to be currently united by concern for their missing classmate.

Aisha gave Sam an amicable look before glancing at Eli's seat with a frown, "Every class I have, people are talking about it"

A troubled look fell over Miguel's face as they started walking, "Yeah, I've been hearing stupid rumours all day" he muttered, rubbing his eyes. He looked tired.

Sam gave them both sympathetic looks, "I'm sure he'll turn up" she offered hopefully and Robby nodded, "I used to go off the grid all the time, it's only been a day"

Miguel looked irritated at that or maybe it was just that he was stressed out in general.

"Exactly" Demetri proclaimed at Robby's words, happy that someone was finally getting it, "He's probably just _living in the moment_ and will show up later when he's _feeling_ it" Sarcasm dripped from his words as he recalled a conversation from a few months ago. Eli had channeled the spirit of McConaughey to advise him on changing up his reputation. Said it was about _living it the moment,_ whatever that meant.

Getting to the lockers, Miguel opened his with some force, "Well Hawk isn't you, Robby, he doesn't just go off the grid"

He'd said it in a relatively neutral tone but Robby still took offense at the content, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Aisha cut in, playing the mediator, "Hawk's parents are kinda overprotective with him, he knows that they'd go ballistic if he did something like that"

Not liking the implication, Sam glanced at Robby before turning to address Aisha, "And Robby's wouldn't?"

Despite looking like he appreciated her support, Robby shook his head in disagreement, "Actually that tracks, I was able to go anywhere I wanted _because_ mom didn't care and neither did my deadbeat dad" He added giving a look to Miguel who didn't say anything in response.

They'd all made some good points, Demetri thought. Even as _Hawk,_ Eli still listened to his parents because of how crazy they could be and it was unlikely that he would go anywhere far without telling them. 

Then again, there was the chance that he did exactly that and just went 'off the grid' like Robby said. Either way, it was only a matter of time before they found out.

"Well the 48 hours still aren't up yet, so I don't think there's any point in guessing his whereabouts when he's _probably_ gonna show up soon" Demetri announced, not surprised to see Miguel and Aisha give him yet another doubtful look.

"And if he doesn't?" 

Demetri considered Miguel's words, shifting uncomfortably under everyone's gaze, "Then he'll show up later" he shrugged, closing his locker, "All I'm saying is that it's still too early to know much less start freaking out about it"

* * *

After some more discussion revolving around Eli potentially dropping off the face of the earth, they finally agreed to take a rest and go home.

Having other plans, Demetri delayed his journey home with a trip to the mall. Today was the day he was finally gonna get that new issue as Jimmy had assured him that today was the arrival date. And, honestly, this was just the boost he needed after being subjected to so many criticisms about his apparent lack of empathy.

Even though he wasn't there, the ex-binary brother kept causing Demetri problems. Such as Miguel thinking he was being a jerk about the whole thing and even Sam mentioning that he was being a bit dismissive.

Demetri sighed in frustration as he walked through the comic book store; his second home. Here existed a reprieve from his real life problems in the form of colourful works of literature and art about fantasy and magic as well as the occasional science fiction but those had always been more Eli's thing. 

That gave him some pause and he shook his head slightly as if trying to dislodge all thoughts of his former friend. He didn't need those real life problems to follow him here, to his happy place. Glancing down, he browsed the lower shelves stacked with newly published novels with the hopeful thought that something good had come out.

"Hey Demetri, you okay?"

He turned to see Jimmy, clad in a dark beanie and turtleneck, giving him an odd look.

Demetri straightened up, "Oh hey Jimmy" he sighed, walking over towards the desk with heavy steps, "I wish I could say that my day was a good one but unfortunately, it wasn't" he finished bluntly and Jimmy was good enough to give him an understanding look without asking any questions.

"But at least I've got the Dungeon Lord to aid me in this time of woe" he brightened only to see Jimmy make a face at his words.

"Oh...about that-" Jimmy started apologetically and Demetri's mood dimmed once again, "It's not coming for another two days, sorry…"

Demetri had little energy in him after today to fully react to the tragic news so he just shrugged, "It's fine, I'll just reread the old issues until then"

Glancing at some of the decorations Jimmy kept on his desk, Demetri half-smiled at a Yoda bobble-head, "that's cool, I have a Dobby one" 

Seeing what he was looking at, the corners of Jimmy's lips quirked upwards, "I'll sell to you for $10, friends and family discount"

"No thank you" Demetri shook his head, flicking the mini Yoda so that it did the same, "Star wars is more up Eli's street" he said, not even thinking when he'd said it, it just came out. Wasn't he trying to leave his real life problems at the door. He really needed to stop saying things that lowered his mood. It was like emotional self-sabotage.

"Eli? I haven't seen him around since he chased you out of here a few weeks ago" Jimmy said carefully, his tone lilting at the end.

Demetri put a hand to his neck, pressing down on the stiff muscles that tensed up at Jimmy's words, "Ah that most joyful encounter" It wasn't as if he'd forgotten but getting a reminder about it never felt good.

Jimmy gave an empathetic look, "I get it… High school was rough for me too…" he shot a thoughtful look to the Yoda bobble head. Jimmy was the same species of nerd as Demetri so he must have had his own share of bullies growing up. Demetri nodded understandingly.

"Hopefully you guys resolve things" Jimmy added, giving that typical awkward smile of his and Demetri couldn't help but feel a little comforted yet overall bitter.

"I wouldn't count on it" Pessimism stained his words, "especially considering he's not even around" he muttered, glancing down at the Yoda bobble-head as it bobbed to a stop.

Jimmy's forehead creased in thought, "What do you mean?"

Demetri sighed, bumping Yoda with his fist, it bobbed erratically, "He's reported as missing-" he saw Jimmy's eyebrows raise in surprise and Demetri shook his head, "-But it's only been a day so I mean it's not like he's _actually missing_ "

Jimmy's expression didn't change and Demetri felt the need to justify himself, "he's probably up to something- I don't know- _badass_ or _cool_ or I don't know, something along those lines" he babbled, glancing at the store clock. He would have to go home soon.

"Haha, yeah it's not like he's exactly the same shy guy from a year ago now that I think about it" Jimmy laughed, eliciting an irritated look from Demetri.

"Yeah, he's _Hawk_ now, has a stupid haircut and everything" Demetri commented, remembering that Jimmy knew Eli from before. Of course, they hadn't spoken or anything due to Eli being a man of few words and generally avoiding other people. 

Even though Jimmy was as nerdily harmless as they were, probably even more so, Eli would still stay close to the science fiction aisle only talking to Demetri.

"I think the red mohawk's kinda cool actually" Jimmy confessed in that jittery voice of his, "reminds me of Yondu"

"Yondu?" Demetri sounded unimpressed and a little annoyed that yet another person liked that dumb hairdo, "I pegged it as more of a red Hulk thing, you know, the one nobody liked" he had definitely sounded bitter right then so he tried to reign it in slightly, "but whatever, I guess"

He took another look at the clock, "I have to go"

Jimmy opened his mouth to say goodbye-

"-But I'll be back in two days for the Dungeon Lord" He quickly added before moving away from the desk to which Jimmy gave a crookedly amused smile, "cool"

Demetri waved goodbye and left the store. For some reason the yoda bobble head popped up in his mind as he walked out the mall. He felt himself regret not buying it.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
